Shenelle Jones she felt the need to talk about her late husband, Uche Ojehabout a year after his death.
Jones, 47, announced the tour in support of his upcoming book, Through Mother’s Eyesduring the Monday, March 23, episode of Today. The anchor held back tears as she told viewers how her husband won the book before he died.
“I think I’m going to cry,” Jones said Monday while discussing his upcoming project. “When I started writing this book, I was very eager to learn from the many mothers we love.”
Jones’ book, inspired by him Today series of the same name, contains lessons he’s learned from several women throughout his life, but what emerged was “a powerful theme of resilience,” he said. Through Mother’s Eyes will be released on Tuesday, April 14, and Jones will embark on an eight-city book tour that week.
“This was supposed to come out last spring, and the truth is that my husband, Uche, became very ill while I was writing this, and he pushed me to continue,” she recalled. “I have been pushing this for the past year because I want to be with him and the children, but I promised him that I will not give up on this.”
During Monday’s broadcast, Jones also showed a photo of Ojeh with his grandmother, who died seven months after her husband. Jones said these were the two people who “believed in me the most” when it came to publishing his book.
Ojeh died at the age of 45 in March 2025 following a battle with brain cancer.
“It is with great sadness that we share this morning that Uche Ojeh, the husband of our dear friend and Today co-host Sheinelle Jones has passed away after a courageous battle with glioblastoma,” Today an anchor Savannah Guthrie it was announced at that time.
Jones was married to Ojeh for 17 years before her death. They share a son Kain, 16, and twins Clara and Uche, 13.
“There are no words of sorrow for Sheinelle and their three children,” Guthrie continued during the broadcast in May 2025. “Uche was an incredible person. We all loved him.”
Jones took a long time away from his role and continued Todaystarting in December 2024. Initially, details about his leave were not disclosed, with Jones telling viewers that he was dealing with a family matter.
Jones returned to the show in September 2025, four months after Ojeh’s death. During that time, he sat down with Guthrie for an emotional conversation.
“In this moment, I’m fine. Every day, I’m fine,” Jones said at the time. “In terms of the big picture, how am I? My heart is broken into a million pieces.”
She added, “The life I knew since I was 19 is gone. I always wanted children, and I have three children of my own now and they lost their father. I am their mother, and it’s sad. So, how am I doing? Every day. I’m proud of how I’ve coped so far. I’m proud of my children how we cope with trauma.”
